Packing machine



March l0, 1936.

W. E. MOLINS PACKING MACHINE 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 3

/f-a @Mw gym March 10, 1936. w. E. MOLINS PACKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. s, 193s IIIII MII :H

March 10, 1936. w. E'. MOLINS PACKING MACHINE 4 Sheet5 sheet 5 Filed Nov. 5, 195s March 10, 1936 w. E. MoLlNs ,Ufi

PACKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 3, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKING MACHINE Molins, deceased Application November 3, 1933, Serial No. 696,586 In Great Britain November 10, 1932 12 claims. (o1. 93-2) 1 depositing an article on a slide, after which some or all of the flaps of the slide are folded up and a shell is made up about the loaded slide and the folds of the shell secured.

Further, the invention comprises various types of machines for carrying the new method into effect as will be more fully described hereafter.

The shell so formed around the loaded slide, may be either of the block ended type to permit the removal of the slide from one end only, in which case the slide is furnished with projections for facilitating the removal, or the shell may have both ends open in the usual Way.

If desired, the cigarettes may be first enveloped or partly enveloped in a protective Wrapper such as tin foil.

Some machines operating according to the new method will be described hereafter With reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:--

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred form of machine constructed according to the invention, some parts being omitted.

Figure 2 is a part plan of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2 on line A-A.

Figure 3a is a section of Figure 2 on line B-B.

Figure 4 shows a flat view of a slide as fed into the machine.

Figures 5, 6 and '7 show views of the slide during consecutive folding oper-ations.

Figure 8 shows a section of Figure 2 on the line C-C.

Figure 9 is a plan of another machine for carrying out the invention, operating in a different manner to that described with reference to Figures l to 8.

Figures l0, 11 and 12 show views of consecutive operations in the folding of the shell.

Figure 13 shows another way of carrying out the invention in which the shell is folded around the slide to produce an open ended slide and shell packet by feeding the slide against the shell blank which is deposited in the path thereof.

Figure i4 shows an alternative construction I' of machine for making a packet of the same kind as that made by the machine described with reference to Figures l to 8.

Figure l is a sectional side elevation of Figure 14.

Like reference numbers refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to Figures l to 3, the shell is made in the form of a block ended cup of paper o1' thin cardboard, and is formed in the well known manner by a reciprocating plunger which presses the flat blank, from which the shell is made, through a folding device or die. These parts are omitted from the drawings, and on reference to Figure 1, it Will be seen that the block ended shells S are delivered by means described later, to the bed I where the slide is fed into the shell. In this way the folds of the shell are properly broken, which is desirable in order to prevent the shell from springing out of shape during the subsequent operations, and as the shell is not gummed it may be partially opened during the filling process in order to permit the easy insertion of the loaded and folded slide, after which the shell is closed down and the side folds thereof gummed together.

It is found that when the shell is first formed about a plunger, the folds can be made very sharply, thus producing a, finished packet of good appearance.

The shells S (Figure 1) are delivered from the forming mechanism into a channel 2 and succeeding shells push the preceding ones down the channel, and as the shells are not gummed they tend to spring open, thus creating suiiicient friction to retain them in the desired positions.

When the succession of packets is properly established, the lowest packet projects from the channel 2, and enters a transfer apparatus which swings it through 90 to the horizontal position and deposits it on the bed I of the lling portion of the machine.

The transfer apparatus consists of a Wheel, comprising a pair of rotating discs 3, only one of which is shown in Figure 1. These discs are mounted on a spindle 4 and rotated continuously, thus carrying the packets around in turn to the point where they are deposited on the bed of the filling machine. A guide plate 5 which is pivoted at 6 is oscillated by a cam l and as the shell enters the wheel, the plate 5 moves inwards and forms a guide channel in connection with a fixed guide 8 and prevents the packet from being displaced with respect to the centre of the Wheel.

When the shell has travelled through about it meets a stripper 9 which is operated by a cam I, and the operation of the stripper causes a spring stop II to turn clockwise about its pivot and form an abutment for the shell when the same lies on the bed of the machine. As the shell is only held between the discs forming the wheel by friction, the shell remains stationary when it meets the stop II, although the Wheel travels on, but as will be understood later, the shell is only still for an instant as the loaded slide is timed to enter the shell immediately the latter comes to rest on the bed of the machine.

Referring to Figure 2 the cigarettes are fed from a hopper (not shown) by a continuous conveyor I2 in the well known manner and carried along a bed and deposited on a plate I2a which is slightly higher than the machine bed I 3 and overlaps the same as shown in Figure 2. When the pusher I2 reaches the point shown in Figure 2 it leaves the batch and returns to feed another batch.

The bed I3 is arranged to receive flat slides from any suitable slide making or slide feeding mechanism. For instance, the slides may be made by the usual scoring and cutting mechanism which operates on a web of cardboard or like material fed from a reel, in which case the flat slides may be delivered by travelling bands or rollers to the point I4 of the bed (Figure 3).

Alternatively, the slide portions may be manufactured elsewhere in which case they are creased during the manufacturing process and placed in a magazine from which they are fed on to the bed of the machine at the point I4 by any suitable sheet feeding mechanism, instead of being cut from a reel as above described.

In either case, as the slides issue from the supplying mechanism a conveyor piece I5 on the endless conveyor I 6 engages the rear edge of each flat slide and conveys the slide along the bed I3 of the machine. The conveyor piece is constructed in the manner shown in the section at Figure 3 so that the leading portion overlaps the slide a distance corresponding to the portion which will be folded up later to form one of the upstanding side walls of the slide. Further, the leading portion of the conveyor piece engages a batch of cigarettes when it has been deposited on the slide as will be described later, so that the conveyor piece conveys the slide and the batch 'of cigarettes together along the bed I3 of the machine as a composite article. As the conveyor piece engages the slide, the edges of the latter are controlled by guides I5a.

As the conveyor I6 is continuous in its operation and the cigarettes delivered from the plate I2a are moving in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the conveyor, it is necessary to provide means for ensuring that the batch of cigarettes is deposited upon the slide without their being twisted out of alignment with the slide, and further, it is necessary to commence the feeding of the batch of cigarettes into the path of the slide before the slide arrives in position to receive same, and because there is a gap in the bed of the machine through which the pusher pieces I5 pass, it is necessary to provide means to cover the gap in the bed until the slide is in position.

Referring to Figure 3a, a plate IIT is slidably mounted on the bed of the machine and arranged to be reciprocated across the bed of the machine by the cam I I9 and lever |20 which is pivoted at I I8 to a point just below the point at which the plate I2a terminates. 'I'he top of plate I I'I is level with the bed level.

The plate I II is moved inwardly across the bed just prior to the batch of cigarettes being pushed off of the plate I2a by the next succeeding batch as is seen in the drawings at Fig. 3a and as the leading end of the batch rests upon the plate I II the plate begins its return movement at a speed equal to that at which the batch of cigarettes is being fed on to the plate. As these operations are taking place the continuous conveyor carrying the slide upon which the batch of cigarettes is to be placed causes the slide to move over the surface of the plate II'I and to be inserted beneath the batch of cigarettes being delivered on to the plate. By the time that the slide has been fully inserted beneath the batch of cigarettes the plate I II has been removed from the path of the pusher piece I5 so that it does not impede the movement of the same along the bed of the machine. slide is prevented from moving laterally with the plate II'I by a stop I I'Ia.

In order to facilitate the feeding of the cigarettes into the correct position upon the slide,

a pivoted guide Ilia composed of two plates spaced apart a distance corresponding to the width of a batch of cigarettes, is mounted above the machine and caused by a cam II to descend and form a guide path for the outer sides of the batch of cigarettes during the time it is being deposited on the slide. The guide ISa is pivoted at I8 as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The loaded slide is then conveyed through folding mechanism which folds theend portions of the slide about the ends of the cigarettes. This 3" mechanism consists of a pair of fixed folders I9 of the usual spiral construction which turn up the end flaps of the slide about the extreme ends of the cigarettes, as shown in Figure 6, after which a further pair of spiral folders 20 bend down the cover flaps of the slide on top of the batch, as shown in Figure 7.

As the side folds of the slide are not folded upwardly it is necessary to provide means to retain the batch of cigarettes in position upon the slide during the time in which they are passing through the folding mechanism about to be described, and in order to effect this, a brush I9a is provided above the path of the cigarettes as seen in Figures 2 and 3 and arranged to press upon the cigarettes so as to retain them as a composite batch located against the pusher I5.

In order to relieve the ends of the cigarettes from any pressure due to the folding operations,

a pair of knives 2| are provided, the lower edges of which form lines about which the folding can take place. The cigarettes are contained in the space between the inside of the blades (see Figure 8).

After the folding operations above described, the slide which is in the condition shown in Figure 7 is taken by an upper conveyor 22 having pusher pieces 23 which are timed to co-operate with the pushers I5 so that the conveyor 22 receives the loaded slide from the conveyor IG. The conveyor 22 is carried on a frame 24 pivoted at 25 to permit the operator to raise the conveyor should a jam occur.

The conveyors I6 and 22 move at the same speed as each other, but owing to the fact that the pushers 23 move through a greater radius as they pass around the sprocket Wheel 25a, they travel at a speed slightly greater than that at which the pusher pieces I5 move and therefore.

The

remove the loaded slide out of control of the pusher l5 before the pushers l5 commence their return path.

The brushes I9a which controlled the batches of cigarettes whilst they were being moved by the pushers l5 terminate at a point just before that at which the pushers 23 engage with them, and in order to retain the batch in position after it has been taken up by the pushers 23, each pusher piece 23 is provided with a cooperating catch 23a which is carried by the conveyor 22 and spaced apart from the pusher 23 a distance equal to the width of a batch of cigarettes as clearly shown in Figure 3.

In order to retain the flaps which have just been folded on to the upper surface of the batch of cigarettes in position, the loaded slide passes beneath the guides 24a which retain them in position until they are moved on to the bed I in the manner about to be described.

The loaded and partly folded slides are delivered by the conveyor 22 on to the bed l, being located in position by a guide 26 which is cut away as shown in Figure 3 to permit the leading side fold which is still flat, to be accommodated.

The loaded slide is then engaged by a pusher piece 21 on a conveyor 28, this conveyor being arranged to move transversely to the last conveyor and to engage with the rear end of the loaded slide so as to move it in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the cigarettes. The conveyor 28 carries the loaded slide from the position at which it is deposited upon the bed I through a pair of spiral folders 21a interposed in the guides 26 and which fold upwardly into engagement with the sides of the batch of oigarettes, the side folds of the slide.

After this, the slide which is completely finished is carried along the bed l by the pusher piece 21 and passes through a mouthpiece 29 formed of thin spring steel or similar material.

The mouthpiece 29 is mounted on a carriage 39 which is guided by a rod 3l and a roller 32, the latter running on a guide strip on the bed of the machine. means of a bell crank lever 33 pivoted at 34 and operated by a cam 35 and spring 35, and the parts are so timed that as the slide commences to enter the mouthpiece, the latter commences to move into the mouth of the open shell which has been placed in position, as above described.

The lower side of the mouthpiece 29 is slotted in the well known manner to permit the pusher piece 21 to pass therethrough and at the moment when the slide is pushed right home in the shell, the spring stop l! is released so that further movement of the pusher piece 21 carries beth the slide and the shell along the bed of the machine.

The remaining operations on the packet consist of gumming the side flaps of the shell and sealing them, and this is carried out in the following manner:-

The packet is first carried beneath a plate 31 and on the bed of the machine beneath this plate are mounted a pair of spiral folders 33 which are arranged so that when the packet rst meets them they cause the outer side flaps of the shell to lift up to the horizontal position after which the packet is conveyed over a pair of gum wheels 39 which receive gum from a bath 49 in the usual manner. The packet neXt passes between a pair of folders 4I which are screwed to the top plate 31 and fold the previously raised side flaps downwardly into engagement with the The carriage 39 is reciprocated by` sides of the shell, so that the packet is now complete except for the drying of the gum to seal the side folds. The drying is effected in a stacker 42, the walls of which are heated by electric heaters 43 and one of the walls is movable on arms 44 so that as the packets move along the stacker in steps, the walls are opened while the movement takes place. This movement is effected by a cam 45 which acts on a roller 46. The packets are delivered into the stacker by a pair of rotating discs 41 which grip the sides of the packet in a manner similar to that described with reference to the discs 3 and the conveyor 21 passes beheath the bed of the machine when this takes place.

As the packets turn round with the discs 41, a stripper 48 which is operated by a cam e9, passes in between the discs to a point where it lies behind the track of the packet and when the packet arrives in front of the stripper, the latter moves forward and strips the packet from the discs.

After the parts have passed through the stacker they are completely dried and finished, and may be collected or boxed in any desired manner.

Referring to Figures 9 to l2 which show another machine for carrying out the invention, in this case, for manufacturing the packet with an open ended shell, the cigarettes are fed from the hopper in any suitable manner to a bed 59 and are carried along this bed through guides 5i by an when the cigarettes are delivered on to a plate Y as shown in Figure 3a. and controlled by a lifting guide 5B operating in a manner previously described except that in the present instance the guide is made deep enough to permit the pusher pieces 53 to pass beneath it on their operative path.

The slides are delivered in either of the ways previously described to the bed 55 and pass between guides 51. After being filled the iiaps are folded over in exactly the same manner as previously described, so no further description is necessary in this respect.

When the folded slides reach the position 58, the pusher pieces 59 on the conveyor which has moved them to this point, disappear beneath the bed of the machine, being tripped to clear the rear flap of the slide in the usual way, and the slides are then carried by an upper conveyor 99 on to the bed 6| where the shells are wrapped around them.

By using an overhead conveyor the loaded slides may be delivered over a plate slightly above the bed level, and their movement ceases when they occupy a central position on the bed as shown in Figure 9, the pusher pieces 62 being tripped by any suitable mechanism to permit this. The slide is guided during this movement by side guides 53 which are cut away slightly at their bottom portions to permit the flat shell to pass beneath them in the manner about to be described.

The shell blanks 64 are fed either from a magazine or from a cutting and scoring unit, and are made of thin cardboard which is scored as shown in Figure 9 so that the flap 65 on which gum is to be placed for the purpose of sealing the shell, is formed as an extension of one of the narrow panels.

Each shell is carried on the machine by a pusher piece 66 mounted on a conveyor and at the instant the shell blank arrives at a point beneath ing.

the slide feeding position, a loaded slide' is deposited thereon so that it occupies the central panel 64 of the shell. The shell blank and the slide are then carried through a pair of folders Si which simultaneously fold up the side naps of the slide, one narrow panel and the broad outer panel at one side of the shell blank, the narrow panel at the opposite side and the gum flap which adjoins it, so that the parts are now as shown in perspective at Figure 10. The slide and partly formed shell next pass beneath a single folder 58 which bends down the gum flap as shown in Figure l1, after the pusher piece carries the partly formed packet beneath a gum wheel 69 which is supplied with gum in any manner (not shown) and after this the loaded slide and partly formed shell pass beneath a further folder 70 which bends down the remaining broad panel of the shell, as shown in Figure l2. The folder 'lil may be extended at 1| as long as is necessary to hold the gum flap and the broad panel in contact until the gum is dried, and if desired, the extension may be heated to accelerate the drying. The completed article is preferably fed into the base of a vertical stacker 'l2 where a reciprocating plate (not shown) moves each completed packet in turn upwardly so that the packets form a superimposed pile for convenience of collection and to ensure that the seam is properly dried.

In the form of the invention shown at Figure 13, the loaded and folded slide is moved transversely against a cut and scored shell blank fed across its path in such a manner that the blank forms a U about the loaded and folded slide, the base of the U being formed by one of the narrow panels of the finished shell.

In this case the blank is scored somewhat differently from that shown in Figure 9, as the gum flap is attached to one broad panel and the other broad panel carries the extension which forms the narrow panel of the finished shell.

The slide which is completely folded as shown in the drawings is carried by a pusher piece 13 against a shell blank 14 which is vertically disposed and projects through a slot 'I5 in the bed of the machine beneath a plate 1G, which forms a folding channel in conjunction with the bed of the machine so that the shell is formed into a U, the base of which is constituted by the narrow panel above referred to.

The conveyor delivers the partly formed shell on to a bed il' on which the pusher pieces 18 of a continuous conveyor run at right angles to the previous movement of the slide and shell.

The pusher pieces 73 are tripped by any suitable mechanism so that they leave a partly folded shell and the slide at the position indicated by 1S, after which the pusher 18 conveys the two pieces between guides 80, past a folder 8| which folds up the gum Iiap of the shell and then past a gum wheel 82 which applies gum to the said flap, after which a further folder 83 bends down the remaining narrow panel to complete the fold- The guides 8D may be prolonged as far as necessary, and heated if desired to seal the seam.

In order to complete the folding of the slide by bending up the side flaps so that the slide is ready for insertion into the mechanism just described, it may be fed in the first instance in a lengthwise direction through mechanism which folds upl the flaps, after which the cigarettes are deposited on the slide and then the slide is moved transversely to bring it to the position shown in Figure 13 in front of the shell blank.

The shell blanks may, as in the previous cases, be fed and cut from a reel, or alternatively, fed from a magazine.

The mechanism for feeding, and if necessary, scoring the blanks may be of any well known construction, and no description is deemed to be necessary in the present case.

An alternative construction for producing block-ended shells is shown in Figure 14, in which case a completely loaded and folded slide 84 filled and folded as previously described, is brought along guides 85 by a conveyor and pushed against a shell blank 85 which is standing vertically in the path of the slide.

The shell blank is fed and scored in either of the ways above referred to, and the movement of the slide 84 carries the shell blank beneath a plate 81 which, in conjunction with the bed of the machine, forms the blank into a U shape, after which the side folds of the shell are made and gummed in the manner about to be described.

In order that the interior of the shell shall be free of obstructions due to the folding, the folds are preferably made in a manner which is well known in the art of making block-ended packets, so that one long side fold is rst made, after which the narrow end tuck is made and finally the remaining long side fold is made and secured to the first one by gum.

To make the shell in this way tucking mechanism comprising a pair of cam operated fingers 88 is used, one being located on each side of the machine and timed so that when the end of the shell approaches the fingers, they are moved upwardly to fold the long side folds of the lower limbof the U shape against the side of the slide at the same time performing the initial part of the folding operation which is necessary to fold down the narrow end tucks.

Further movement of the packet causes the narrow tucks to come into engagement with folding plates 89 which smooth the tucks against the previously made long side fold, after which a streak of gum is applied to the side folds by gum wheels 90.

The packet next passes between spiral folders 9| which fold down the remaining long side fold, and the packet is then taken between rotating discs 92 which deliver it to a stacker 93, these parts being identical in construction with those described with reference to Figures l and 2.

Although the invention has been described as applicable to a machine for packing cigarettes, it will be appreciated that it could be used for packing other block shaped articles in a packet of the slide and shell type, and for the purpose of the claims the batch of cigarettes is referred to as an article.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, conveyor mechanism for moving the loaded slide into engagement with wrapping material, means for folding the wrapping material, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

2. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, conveyor means for moving the loaded slide into engagement with Wrapping material folded but unsecured so as to constitute a-n incomplete shell, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

3. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto an unfolded slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, conveyor means for moving the loaded slide into engagement with wrapping material folded but unsecured so as to constitute an incomplete shell, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

4. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a partly folded slide as it fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, conveyor means for moving the loaded slide into engagement with. wrapping material folded but unsecured so as to constitute an incomplete shell, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

5. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto an unfolded slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, conveyor means for moving the loaded slide into engagement with unfolded wrapping material, and means for completing the shell by folding the wrapping material about the slide and securing the folds of the wrapping material in situ about the slide.

6. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a partly folded slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, conveyor means for moving the loaded slide into engagement with unfolded Wrapping material, and means for completing the shell by folding the wrapping material about the slide and securing the folds of the wrapping material in situ about the slide.

7. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, conveyor means for moving the loaded slide into engagement with wrapping material folded but unsecured so as to constitute an incomplete block-ended shell, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

8. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, conveyor mechanism for moving the loaded slide into engagement with a shell blank vertically disposed in the path of the conveyor, and to pass the shell through folding mechanism to fold the same into a U about the loaded `slide and deposit the slide and partly formed shell to a further conveyor moving transversely to the direction of movement of the rst said conveyor, means for folding upwardly a side flap of the shell, means for applying adhesive thereto, and means for folding downwardly the remaining side flap of the shell.

9. A machine for packing articles in packets of the "slide and shell type, comprising in combi nation a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, guiding means operative to guide the article onto the moving slide, conveyor mechanism for moving the loaded slide into engagement with wrapping material, means for folding the wrapping material, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

10. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, a supporting device operative to support the end of the article being deposited in the path of the slide until the slide is in position to support the article, conveyor mechanism for moving the loaded slide into engagement with wrapping material, means for folding the wrapping material, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

11. A machine for packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comprising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a slide as it is fed forwardly on the conveyor, means to fold the slide, a retaining member to retain the article in position upon the slide during its movement along the bed, conveyor means for moving the loaded slide into engagement with wrapping material folded but unsecured so as to constitute an incomplete shell, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

l2. A machine fo-r packing articles in packets of the slide and shell type, comp-rising in combination a continuously moving conveyor, means for depositing an article onto a slide on the con" veyor, means to fold the slide, a second conveyor movable along a path that is transverse to the path of the first said conveyor, means to transfer the loaded slide to the second conveyor, retaining means to retain an article in position upon the slide during the period in which it is being transferred by the transfer means, the second said conveyor being operable for moving the loaded slide into engagement with wrapping material, means for folding the wrapping material, and means for completing the shell by securing the folds of the latter in situ about the slide.

WALTER EVERETT MOLINS. 

